For many years, people have been growing tomatoes and other vegetables in outdoor gardens at the front, side and rear yards of their homes. A persistent problem with garden vegetables, particularly tomatoes, is that the plants take up a substantial amount of outdoor space. Such space requirements are inconvenient and prevent those living in apartments or with limited yard space from enjoying their own home-grown tomatoes and other vegetables.
In order to be successful, vegetable gardens must be kept free from insects and small animal pests. Considerable time and expense must be incurred using pesticides and other means to maintain a healthy garden free from the damaging effects of insects and small animal pests. The risk of insects and pest damage is even greater when trying to grow plants which produce vegetables on or close to the ground. Such a position of the vegetables provides easier access for the many non-flying insects and land borne animals which feed on plants and vegetables. Further, even with proper care, plant and vegetable damage from said pests may occur at any time during the plant life. Therefore, there is always a need in the home gardening industry for new and inventive methods for decreasing the risk of plant damage, especially without the use of environmentally harmful pesticides and animal repellents.
In addition to the risk of insects and small animal pests, significant time and expense must be expended to keep a vegetable garden free of weeds. Many back breaking hours may be spent throughout the growing season picking weeks that continuously plague a garden. Failure to regularly maintain a garden free of weeds will decrease the health and productivity of the plants. Weed growth within the garden may also increase the chance of insect infection.
Another difficulty with the growing of vegetables, particularly tomatoes, is that many individual plants must be tied up with stakes or chicken wire. The vegetables must be kept from lying on the ground in order to prevent rot due to soil moisture and attack from non-flying insects and small animals. As the plants continue to grow throughout the season, they must continuously be retied to prevent the plants from lying on the ground as they grow.
Finally, a vegetable garden must be watered regularly to maintain plant health. Such need is especially important during the dry season at the end of the summer months. As a result, substantial time must be put aside on a regular basis to water the garden but a gardener must also be mindful of the risk of over-watering the plants.
Therefore, there is a need in the market place for a simple, space efficient way to grow tomatoes and other vegetables without the hassle of stakes, or the considerable time and expense needed to keep a garden free of insects, animals and weeds.